History

Commissioned in 1946 by Piero Dusio, Porsche had only 16 months to complete the order. This proved to short a time due to the advanced design of the car. At the time, Ferdinand Porsche was being held in a french Prison (basically for ransom). The up front money from the commission was used to free Porsche.

Porsche 360 Cisitalia in the old Porsche museum

The basis for the Cisitalia 360 was the never raced 1939 Auto-Union. The Auto-Union had a supercharged V12that was projected to have 327 bhp @9000 rpm. The Cisitalia was designed with a flat 12 engine estimated at 300 hp @8500 rpm (though later tests revealed it produced 385 bhp @10,500 rpm). The 360 was designed for a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h) and a fully enclosed body with a streamlined shape was also being planned to reach 200 mph on fast tracks. Chromoly tubing was used for the chassis and featured on/off four wheel drive with a sequential gear-shift and a rear mounted trans axle also sending power through a drive shaft to a front differential. The experience Porsche had while developing the pre-war Auto-Union showed in the 360's design.

Motorsport

Although it was one of the most advanced Grand Prix cars of its time, it was never successfully campaigned it the series it was built for. By the time Porsche completed its development and prototype, Dusio ran out of money. The car is now on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.